


Behind the Clouds

by LovelyRita1967



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crush at First Sight, F/M, Ficlet, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia and Jaskier | Dandelion are Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon's Parents, Meet-Cute, Sharing Clothes, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29407362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyRita1967/pseuds/LovelyRita1967
Summary: From "The Rainy Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;Thy fate is the common fate of all,Into each life some rain must fall,
Relationships: Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy/Tissaia de Vries
Comments: 16
Kudos: 20





	Behind the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gryphonheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gryphonheart/gifts).



> 💗 Happy Valentine's Day, Ro. Some rarepair for you. Love you xoxoxoxoxoxxooxoxo 💗
> 
> 💗 Thank you to my beta [Blaire_Seton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaire_Seton/pseuds/Blaire_Seton/works). Check out her Geraskier if you haven't yet! 💗

Tissaia tried to focus on taking one, wet step at a time, and not on the cold trickle of water running down her back. She had a heavy bag of groceries in each hand, and despite hunching her shoulders against the rain, there was no denying she was thoroughly soaked. 

It had been a long, painful day at work and the thought of curling up with a warm blanket and a cup of tea was all that kept her going. Mercifully, she rounded the final corner and saw her building ahead. 

Mousesack, the doorman, smiled warmly when he saw her and hustled forward with his umbrella. “Ms. de Vries! You’re drenched!” 

Tissaia smiled wryly. “Indeed.” 

He tried to take one of her bags but she shook her head. “It’s fine. I made it this far.”

Mousesack tutted as he pulled the door open for her. “You make sure you get into some dry clothes right away. We don’t want you catching a cold.” 

Tissaia nodded, relishing the blast of warm air as she entered. “I will.” 

He followed her across the foyer and pressed the elevator button for her, then looked back and saw someone waiting at the door for him. “Have a good evening, Ms. de Vries.” 

“You too, Mousesack.” Tissaia watched the number slowly creeping downwards, her shoulders starting to ache. 

She heard Mousesack greeting someone, then crisp footsteps approaching her. A person came to a stop just behind her, and a lovely floral scent wafted over. She turned her head the tiniest bit and could see the person was holding a gorgeous bouquet of pink and orange roses and lilies out of the corner of her eye. 

When the door dinged open she stepped in and turned to lean against the far wall. Then she saw who got in after her and her heart skidded to a halt. It was  _ him.  _

The Dashing Gentleman. That was what she had taken to calling him anyway. She had seen him coming or going three times now and he was perhaps the handsomest, most elegant man she had ever laid eyes on. 

He smiled at her politely. “Good evening. What floor?” he asked. His voice was a rich and smooth baritone. 

“Twenty. Thank you.” Tissaia was keenly aware that she must look like a drowned rat. 

He nodded and pressed the buttons for the seventh and twentieth floors. Tissaia took in his tall, lean figure. He was bone dry and was wearing a rich, forest green woolen overcoat that revealed a hint of a white collared shirt. The hand that gripped the flowers was covered in a black leather glove. He had black hair streaked with a distinguished silver that was combed back off of his face, and long, thick sideburns. His eyes were dark, almost black, and yet somehow, kind. Then she realized with a start they were looking right at her. 

She smiled weakly, mind racing. What could she possibly say to him? She opened her mouth to say something horribly cliched about the rain, when the elevator made a terrifying screeching noise and lurched to a halt. The light flickered. 

“Um…” Tissaia looked up at the display. The number had stopped on four. 

The dashing gentleman frowned and pushed the door open button. Nothing. 

They looked at each other in the silence, baffled. 

“Are we… stuck?” Tissaia asked incredulously. The treasured image of herself curled up on her couch with a book and a mug began to dissolve in her mind. 

The gentleman tried pressing the seven again. Then the six and the five. The elevator steadfastly ignored him. “Oh my.” He turned back to look at Tissaia. 

Then the speaker on the panel crackled to life and Mousesack’s voice filled the small space. 

“Ms. de Vries?” 

“Uh… yes?” 

“Are you two okay?” 

“Well, no. Is the elevator stuck?” 

“It seems that way… I’ve already got the repair company on the line, someone should be right out.” 

Tissaia nodded, thankful she wasn’t alone. She had been a little claustrophobic as a kid and didn’t think she would have handled being isolated and trapped in a small box very well. 

“Just sit tight… it shouldn’t be more than fifteen or twenty minutes. Don’t hesitate to use the call button if you want to talk to me.” 

Tissaia nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay, thank you, Mousesack.” 

“Oh my,” the gentleman said again once the speaker had clicked off. “This is... unexpected.” He looked at Tissaia. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Regis.” 

“Tissaia.” She realized her hands were still full of groceries and she carefully set the bags down. She took his proffered hand and shook. His grip was firm yet somehow... still soft. 

“I should just…” He held up his phone and then typed a quick message. “Don’t want them to worry.” 

Tissaia nodded, not wanting to pry about who he was visiting. 

Regis cleared his throat. “Have you lived in the building long?” 

She shook her head. “No, only about four months now.” 

“It’s a lovely, old building. I’ve always enjoyed the stone work...” He paused. “The elevator, not so much.” 

A bubble of laughter escaped. “Terrible elevator,” she agreed. 

Regis had a very lovely smile. 

“Those are beautiful flowers…” Tissaia offered, trying to find something neutral to fill the silence. 

“Oh, yes, thank you.” Regis glanced down at the bouquet. “They’re for my goddaughter.” 

“How nice. I’m sure she’ll love them. How old is she?” 

“It’s Ciri’s twelfth birthday. Perhaps you’ve seen her around? Long blond hair, almost white? Her father, Geralt, has long white hair as well.” 

Oh, yes, Tissaia had indeed seen them. It was hard not to notice the large, brooding man with long white hair and his little pixie of a daughter. They were usually accompanied by another man who was also beautiful, although with soft brown hair he didn’t stand out quite as much. 

She nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen them. Gorgeous family.” 

Regis beamed. “They are indeed. I hope we’re not stuck in here too long. Jaskier is making dinner.” 

Tissaia smiled a little wistfully. Her dinner was sitting in a bag at her feet. Quinoa salad from the market deli. “That sounds lovely.” 

“Yes, I’m very lucky.” 

Tissaia contemplated her groceries. She had also scooped up a pint of chocolate cherry ice cream on a whim, unable to resist after the day she had, and she wondered how long it would last in the elevator. 

Regis must have followed her gaze. “Is that ice cream?” he asked. 

She smiled ruefully. “It is. We may need to eat it,” she joked. 

“If we’re stuck in here much longer I will be up for the task.” 

Tissaia suddenly shivered and shifted uncomfortably. There was still water trickling from her hair down onto her neck. 

Regis looked concerned. “Are you cold?” 

“A little.” Tissaia peeled off her wet coat and hung it over the handrail. 

“Here.” Regis immediately began pulling off his thick overcoat. “Wear this.” He had a grey blazer on over his white dress shirt, and Tissaia caught a flash of suspenders as it flapped open for a moment. 

“Oh, no… that’s too kind, I don’t want to get it wet.” 

“It’s a coat, it’s meant to get wet.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I insist.” 

Tissaia shivered again, unable to suppress the chill that had seeped into her bones. It  _ did _ look warm… “Okay, thank you very much.” She pulled it on and shivered again, this time from the warmth of the coat seeping into her skin and its heavenly cedar smell. 

Regis looked at her happily. “That’s better. So…” He tapped his leg. “How was your day today?” 

“Um…” Tissaia didn’t want to burden a stranger, but she also couldn’t bring herself to say that it was fine. “I’ve had better days.” 

“Oh, dear.” Regis frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“Hence the ice cream.”

“Ah. Yes, sometimes ice cream is required. What do you do, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“Not at all. I’m the Director of Recruiting at Aretuza.” 

“Hmm,” Regis replied politely, although she saw the flash in his eyes at the name of the conglomerate. 

She chuckled dryly. “No, I know. Evil overlords, I get it. I used to think I didn’t mind because I was helping people get jobs, but now…” she shrugged. “One can only handle so much soul-crushing.” 

“Yes, you deserve to be happy.” He looked deep into her eyes and Tissaia felt her stomach swoop. 

She blushed a little and looked down at her bags. “Is it time for ice cream yet?” 

“What could we eat it with, I wonder?” Regis accepted her topic change gracefully. 

“Well…” Tissaia crouched down and poked through the bags. “Let’s see… Oh! Brown rice crackers!” 

“Perfect,” Regis agreed. “You could build a house with those things. They’ll easily withstand some ice cream scooping.” 

But at his words, the elevator shuddered and began moving. 

“Oh…” Tissaia looked up to see the numbers climbing again. She stood and hastily pulled off Regis’ coat. “Here… thank you again so much.” 

He took it from her with what looked like a twinge of regret. “You’re so welcome.” 

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open on the seventh floor. 

“Well, maybe I’ll see you around,” Tissaia said softly, deeply missing the warmth of Regis’ coat. 

He nodded. “I hope so. Have a wonderful evening.” He stepped out and turned to give her one last wave as the doors started to close. 

Tissaia’s heart was in her throat watching him leave, cursing herself for not asking for his phone number. But that was not something she ever did. Besides, the man just wanted to get to his dinner, not have to fend off awkward advances from drenched strangers in the elevator. 

And then, right before the doors closed, long, gloved fingers darted through. The doors halted, then slid back open. 

Regis looked a little sheepish. “I beg your pardon, Tissaia, but…” He held up a business card. “This is perhaps too forward, and I don’t wish to make you uncomfortable but… we should have that ice cream sometime. Not  _ here, _ mind you…” His lips curled as he held it out. “Call me… if you’d like.” 

She blinked at him, then her brain screamed at her to take the card. She reached for it. “Yes. I would like that. Thank you.” 

The smile Regis gave her sent her heart pounding. “Excellent. I’ll await your call.” He inclined his head gracefully as the doors slid shut again. 

Tissaia smiled as she draped her coat over her arm and picked her groceries up off the floor. 

_ Great day.  _

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, here's more Regis/Tissaia: [Some Shape of Beauty](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26129218), and its sequel [With Ideal Grace](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468503/chapters/64495105). 
> 
> [Subscribe to me](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyRita1967/pseuds/LovelyRita1967) if you like (I write mostly Geraskier, with some rarepairs thrown in), or come say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/LovelyRita1967) (18+) and [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lovelyrita1967). I follow back! 
> 
> Kudos are so appreciated, and comments make my day. Thank you ♥‿♥


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